


such quiet moments

by reedyas



Series: oh what a world [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Southern Water Tribe, Stargazing, no beta we die like lu ten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27129980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reedyas/pseuds/reedyas
Summary: sokka, zuko, izumi, and a sky full of stars
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: oh what a world [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1980227
Comments: 5
Kudos: 59





	such quiet moments

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for clicking! Not-that-important-fact: Suki is Izumi's biological mom. This will be explored in an upcoming piece in the series :)

The docks sit empty and quiet as Sokka steadies the _umiak_ and triple checks the oars in the vessel. The sun had finally disappeared behind the sea, leaving the sky a myriad of deep dark purple and blue. With no clouds in sight, the conditions are perfect. Sokka smiles to himself and stands up, wiping dust off his pants.

At the end of the docks stands Zuko, wrapped in a thick, dark blue parka, with his hood up and a familiar lump strapped to his chest. He adjusts the fur hat on top of the lump, speaking softly as he pulls it snug. When he looks up, Sokka waves at them to join him on the docks. “Ready?” he asks as they approach.

Zuko hums. “Got everything?” He asks when they reach the small boat.

“Triple checked. We are good to go,” Sokka says, giving him a mitten-ed thumbs up. “Izumi, are you ready for your first _umiak_ ride?” he murmurs, pulling the small hat back to kiss his daughter on her pale, chubby cheek. Izumi leans back a bit and looks up at him with her big, blue eyes. She squeals and coos, making Sokka’s heart flip in his chest. He flicks his gaze to his husband and plants a gentle kiss on his red-from-the-cold lips. “Let’s go.”

After carefully helping Zuko and Izumi into the boat and settling himself down opposite of them, he unties the knot tethering them to the dock and pushes off. Gripping the oars, he rows them into the harbor, further and further away from the docks. The night is deathly quiet despite Izumi’s cooing and the soft splashing of the oars in the icy water. He rows them into a cove not too far from the docks, but far enough so the light is but a dim speck in the distance. After locking the oars in place, he leans back and exhales, closing his eyes briefly.

“I will never get tired of this.”

Sokka opens his eyes to see Zuko staring up at the sky. He would be lying if he said the stars at the South Pole weren’t magical. They glitter and twinkle against the night sky like sunlight on the ocean, like raindrops on a pond. It’s so clear they can see the thin clusters of clouds and stars that looks like smoke climbing towards the heavens. Sokka revels in the feeling of being small, insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe.

“Would you like to take her?” Zuko murmurs. Sokka nods. Zuko unzips his parka, removing Izumi from her sling and deftly transferring the swaddled baby to Sokka. She fusses a bit while Sokka settles her in the front of his parka, zipping her in tight. She calms down when he tucks her tiny face with pink cheeks where his neck meets his shoulder and winces slightly when she finds a chest hair to pull on. He rubs his palm up and down her tiny back, imagining her tiny heart beating along with his.

Behind the glacier, the full moon begins to rise. For some reason, he wants to cry.

“Hey,” Zuko says, breaking the silence. “Tell us about the _Ullaktut_.”

And he does. He tells the story of the three runners trying to escape from feral snow leopard caribou. He tells the story of the _Nanurjuk_ and the _Qimmiit_ dancing around each other in the sky. This feels special, sacred. He thinks of the hundreds of fathers before him who have told the same stories over and over again.

He pauses. Izumi snuggles into his chest, her eyes peering out over the dark water and its reflection of the stars above. She gurgles and coos into the quiet. Sokka is so thankful to be a father.

“Let me tell you the story of the princess who saved the moon…” he begins again. Yue sits high above them now, her light almost as bright as the sun. Zuko stares up at her with parted lips, as if he’s afraid it’ll turn that horrible red again.

They sit in the _umiak_ until the cold bite of the night seeps into their bones. Sokka wrinkles his nose when he swiftly gives a fussing Izumi back to Zuko. “She’s going to need a change when we get back.”

His face scrunches up in a way that makes Sokka’s heart thump. “It’s okay, smelly girl. We’ll get you all cleaned up soon.”

Sokka rows them back to the harbor and ties them to the docks. He helps his husband out of the boat and takes his arm. Their boots crunch in the snow as they make their way back to their igloo close to the center of town. Once inside, Zuko lights a candle and warms Izumi’s sleeping furs while Sokka changes her cloth diaper. They tuck her tiny body into her crib, her pale face a staunch contrast to the dark furs that swaddle her.

“Goodnight, turtleduck,” Zuko murmurs, placing a kiss on her forehead.

“Sleep well, ‘Zumi,” Sokka says as she lets out a tiny yawn and allows her eyes to close. He can’t take his eyes off her. Something in his chest feels like it’s going to burst. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Zuko tosses off his layers and changes into his sleeping pants and climbs into their bed of furs next to Izumi’s crib.

Sokka feels like he’s going to cry if he opens his mouth. So he stays silent until he changes into his pajama pants and crawls in next to Zuko and smooshes his face into his chest. “For her. For you. For being here. For everything.”

Zuko wraps his arms around Sokka’s broad shoulders and muscled chest and pulls him close. “I love you. So much.” He peppers kisses on the crown of his head

“I love you too.”

Outside, the moon shines down on them, quiet and still. All is well.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! An _umiak_ is a type of boat used by Inuit and Yupik communities. It is larger than a kayak and wider than a canoe. I used [this link](http://myguidestuff.com/PDF_Documents/Constellations&Legends.pdf) as research for Inuit constellations. If I butchered anything or if you want to scream about zukka with me please feel free to reach out to me at teamsuki on tumblr!


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